Rasus to cover Tregaron Races live from Tairgwaith

Tregaron Races will move to the Tairgwaith racing track this weekend – 25 and 26 Saturday - following the decision not to hold the races at Dolyrychain fields because of the wet weather.

And S4C will provide comprehensive coverage live from Tregaron Races in Tairgwaith Saturday and Sunday.

The meeting will now be held at theUK’s fastest harness racing track and will feature many of the races usually held at the Tregaron Festival of Harness Racing.

The races for young horses – The Little and Junior Welsh Dragon series – will run as usual, while revised versions of the heats and finals of the Strata Florida and Welsh Classic will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

S4C’s Rasus team will be there to introduce all the races and will include Ifan Jones Evans, Dot Davies, Hywel Davies, Megan Taff, Wyn Gruffydd and Raymond Jenkins. The original presenter of the series, Dai Jones, also returns for this packed weekend of harness racing.

It’s been a difficult season for harness racing because of the inclement summer weather – and moving the event from the legendary Dolrychain grass track has been a huge disappointment for harness racing fans, drivers and owners.

But despite the disappointment, the Rasus team is confident that staging the races on the hard track at Tairgwaith near Ammanford will be a great success.

Rasus producer Geraint Lewis says, “Naturally, everybody is disappointed that the organisers have had to move the Tregaron Races this year. But the decision to go ahead with the festival under these difficult circumstances reflects the remarkable determination of the organisers and the trotting community in general to stage the festival whatever the odds.

“The main races will go ahead – though the track and the challenge will of course be different. The resounding message is that the Tregaron Races brand will survive, despite the change of location. We must remember that this is not the first time this has happened.

“In 2001 Tregaron Races were held at the Portmarnock track on the outskirts of Dublin in Ireland because of the foot and mouth disease outbreak. It then returned to Tregaron the following year. We hope that the races will return to its natural home in 2013, but this year, we can still celebrate the biggest weekend in harness racing at Tairgwaith and also live on S4C.”